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    Keeping Your Houseplants Happy and Healthy

    Uploaded by

    Lisa Jiang
    1) The document provides tips for caring for houseplants, including choosing the right planters and soil, watering moderately, providing adequate light, fertilizing monthly when plants are growing, keeping plants in a warm environment with air circulation, and inspecting plants regularly. 2) It recommends choosing planters with drainage holes, using a potting soil mixture rather than garden soil, watering only a few times a month in winter and once or twice a week other times, and rotating plants to ensure even sunlight exposure. 3) Signs of overwatering or underwatering are described, and the document provides links for more information on houseplant care and selecting containers.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Keeping Your Houseplants Happy and Healthy

    Uploaded by

    Lisa Jiang
    44 views2 pages
    1) The document provides tips for caring for houseplants, including choosing the right planters and soil, watering moderately, providing adequate light, fertilizing monthly when plants are growing, keeping plants in a warm environment with air circulation, and inspecting plants regularly. 2) It recommends choosing planters with drainage holes, using a potting soil mixture rather than garden soil, watering only a few times a month in winter and once or twice a week other times, and rotating plants to ensure even sunlight exposure. 3) Signs of overwatering or underwatering are described, and the document provides links for more information on houseplant care and selecting containers.

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    1) The document provides tips for caring for houseplants, including choosing the right planters and soil, watering moderately, providing adequate light, fertilizing monthly when plants are growing, keeping plants in a warm environment with air circulation, and inspecting plants regularly. 2) It recommends choosing planters with drainage holes, using a potting soil mixture rather than garden soil, watering only a few times a month in winter and once or twice a week other times, and rotating plants to ensure even sunlight exposure. 3) Signs of overwatering or underwatering are described, and the document provides links for more information on houseplant care and selecting containers.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    44 views2 pages

    Keeping Your Houseplants Happy and Healthy

    Uploaded by

    Lisa Jiang
    1) The document provides tips for caring for houseplants, including choosing the right planters and soil, watering moderately, providing adequate light, fertilizing monthly when plants are growing, keeping plants in a warm environment with air circulation, and inspecting plants regularly. 2) It recommends choosing planters with drainage holes, using a potting soil mixture rather than garden soil, watering only a few times a month in winter and once or twice a week other times, and rotating plants to ensure even sunlight exposure. 3) Signs of overwatering or underwatering are described, and the document provides links for more information on houseplant care and selecting containers.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    KEEPING YOUR HOUSEPLANTS HAPPY AND HEALTHY

    A guide from Park Operations Department of Battery Park City Authority

    Each one of your houseplants has slightly different needs, and deserves specialized care in order to
    thrive. All plants have some needs in common, like water, light, and food (fertilizer) for growth. We
    hope these basic tips for houseplant care will help you take care of your photosynthesizing friends!

    Plants, like people, don’t like to be cramped!


    • Choose a planter that has holes in the bottom for good drainage.
    • The right size planter should match the size of your plant: small plants
    Planters Matter
    should be in small containers and large plants in large containers.
    • Remember to keep pots clean to prevent disease, so if you plan to reuse
    a pot, clean it well both inside and out.

    Indoor plants don’t need the same kind of soil as outdoor plants.
    • Start with a good, organic potting soil (not garden soil). Soil Substitutes
    • You can make your own by mixing equal parts peat moss, vermiculite/
    perlite, and compost.
    • Keep your mixture loose; try not to compact it. Orchids, especially, prefer a
    well-drained, loose mixture with plenty of room for the roots to breathe.

    Don’t overdo it, houseplants don’t like wet feet!


    Water Moderately
 • During winter months, a plant typically only needs watering a few times a
    month. Water once or twice a week the rest of the year.
    • Water slowly until you see a trickle from the drainage holes in the bottom of
    the container.
    • You can also set the plant in a dish of water and the roots will pull up
    whatever they need.

    Signs of overwatering: Signs of underwatering:


    Fungus or mold on the soil surface Slow leaf growth
    Mushy brown roots at the bottom of the pot Translucent leaves
    Standing water in the bottom of the container Premature dropping of flowers or leaves
    Young and old leaves falling off at same time Brown, yellow or curled leaf edge

    The placement of your plant is important.


    • All plants need light to photosynthesize, which promotes growth. If plants
    don’t get the light they need, they won’t necessarily die, but they will stop
    producing new growth.
    • Some houseplants need bright or direct light (sunlight from a south-
    facing window)
    Let the Light In

    • Others like indirect or filtered light (sunlight through a curtain or a
    lightbulb)
    Rotate Regularly It's important that ALL of your plant gets sunlight and air.
    • If your plant is in a sunny location, it’s important to turn it regularly to
    ensure even exposure.
    • Rotate the plant one-quarter turn each week to help guarantee
    even growth.

    Indoor plants need a more direct form of food (fertilizer) to grow best.
    • houseplants can carry out photosynthesis to process the sugars they
    need to survive, but they need a little help via fertilizer Plant Food and Fertilizer
    • Fertilize once a month when plants are flowering or growing (spring and
    summer).
    • Fertilizer comes in different forms: make sure you buy fertilizer with
    “indoor plants” on the label. Fertilizer can be delivered via a granule
    that breaks down over time, or it can be added more directly via a
    water-soluble formulation.

    Keep your houseplant in a warm environment.


    • Almost all indoor plants need a minimum temperature of 55ºF to
    survive.
    Air Circulation and •Especially in the winter, keep plants away from areas of cold drafts or
    Temperature Control up against cold window panes.
    •Some form of airflow is crucial to maintaining a healthy house plant.

    Inspect your houseplants regularly!


    • Use a damp cloth to wipe down the leaves and prevent a coating of dust.
    • A plant’s leaves absorb carbon dioxide and moisture from the air and
    should not be clogged. Pest Protection
    • If you spot pests, purchase an insecticidal soap, and follow the direction
    on the label.

    Helpful websites for more plant information:

    For a basic guide to houseplants, follow this link


    The Ultimate Guide to Indoor Plants: click HERE!
    More info on indoor plant care, right here
    Use this link to help you pick out containers for your plants!

    Happy Gardening from all of us!

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